


Just A Girl

by shutupmulder



Category: Mission: Impossible, Mission: Impossible (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluffy, I have no idea, This just came to me so I wrote it down, just fluffy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2020-04-06 14:45:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19064782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shutupmulder/pseuds/shutupmulder
Summary: An 18th-century-inspired party. Ilsa is a badass as usual. Ethan and Ilsa are in love.





	Just A Girl

When Ilsa went to bed last night she had expected the next day to be filled with costume fitting and just enjoying a peaceful and quiet day at work, probably just laughing at how ridiculous they looked instead of risking their lives, saving the world, which would be nice for a change - truly.

To say that things had not gone according to plan would be an understatement, and it was only 9:40 a.m.

Yesterday they had been debriefed on their upcoming mission which required her, Ethan and Benji to attend an exclusive gala in Montenegro. Dress code: Period clothing, 1800th century. Brandt and Luther had gotten lucky, they would be sitting in a van two kilometres away from the party location, running the tech. It was a simple mission, get in, bug the Chancellor of Austria, - Ethan and Ilsa had shared a small smile at that coincidence during the briefing - blend in at the party for a few hours, and get out. Apparently, the Chancellor was suspected of doing business with an arms dealer in Lybia. The party would take place in three days and today at 9 a.m they would do a fitting for their costumes. ¨

Simple, really, or so Ilsa had at least thought.

The day had not started well. Waking up to a loud beeping noise when in a deep sleep, Ilsa grabbed her gun beneath her pillow before she realised that it was the fire alarm. Stuffing the weapon in the back of her pyjamas shorts anyways, she quickly scanned her apartment for what could have caused the alarm to go off. Seeing nothing and smelling nothing she looked outside if there was any movement in the courtyard but it was empty. Drawing the conclusion that there simply must be something wrong with the fire alarm, she stood on a kitchen chair and took the annoyingly loud item down, removing the batteries.

With a sigh, she closed her eyes for a moment, a headache starting to form. Having been in a deep sleep only a few minutes ago, the noise of the fire alarm along with the possible danger of fire had made her alert and she knew she wasn’t going to be able to fall asleep just yet. Checking the time, 2:15 a.m, she grabbed a glass of water and aspirin before sitting down on the couch with a book she had started reading two days ago, _The Handmaid’s Tale_ by Margaret Atwood. An exciting but terrifying read, even for Ilsa.

Eventually, the tiredness came back and Ilsa returned to bed. Several hours later, Ilsa walked out of her apartment door, ready for work. However, she did not get very far because the neighbour two doors away from her proceeded to open their door with such force that she did not have time to react and Ilsa groaned as the door struck her right arm.

Rubbing her sore arm with her left hand, a beautiful dark-skinned woman in her mid-thirties appeared in front of her, a look of horror on her face as she saw Ilsa.

“Oh shit, I’m so sorry!” She rushed out in a Southern accent, taking a step towards her but stopping mid-step as Ilsa raised her hand to tell her that she was fine. “Are you okay?” The woman asked.

“It’s okay, I’m fine.” Ilsa assured her with a friendly smile, ready to continue towards the parking lot when she noticed that her neighbour was drenched in water and that she looked stressed.

“Are _you_ okay?” Ilsa returned the question, lowering her gaze for a moment to the woman’s clothes when seeing the puzzled expression on her face.

“Oh, yeah. Or.. no, actually not. There’s a water leak in my kitchen and I can’t stop it. Do you happen to know anything about plumbing?” She asked with a pleading look on her face.

She looked so helpless and desperate that Ilsa couldn’t say no. “Yes, a little. I can take a look at it if you’d like.”

“Oh, thank you!” The woman gave Ilsa a bright smile, motioning for Ilsa to step inside. “I’m Alicia, by the way.” She added as they walked towards the kitchen.

“I’m Ilsa.” The two women shared a smile as they entered the kitchen that was a complete mess and water was literally spurting out into the air. Moving closer towards the sink, Ilsa realised she was going to have to bend down which would put the gun stuffed in the back of her pants on display. Removing her biker jacket, she discreetly hid the gun in the clothing before putting it away safely on the dry kitchen bench close to her.

“Are you new here? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.” Alicia asked as Ilsa bent down.

“Yes. I moved in about a month ago.” Ilsa answered, holding her hand in front of the pipe that was spurting out water. Looking at the construction, Ilsa hissed under her breath. She could fix it, but it would likely take at least ten minutes. However, without repair, the damage to the kitchen would be severe in less than half an hour, which left them with too little time to call a plumber. Making her decision, Ilsa stood and wiped her hands at the back of her pants.  

“I can fix it, but it will take a few minutes. I just need to send a text to work that I’ll be running a little late.” Ilsa explained as she quickly fished out the phone out of her jacket and sent a short text to Ethan.

“Oh, how kind of you!” Alicia exclaimed as Ilsa moved towards the toolbox that stood on the kitchen bench. “Can I help you?” Alicia added when Ilsa sat down on her knees in front of the sink once more, clothes already getting drenched in water.

“If you could hold your hand to stop the flow while I fix one thing here, that would be helpful.” Ilsa smiled and made space for Alicia to sit down next to her.

“So, what brings you to Virginia, Ilsa? Unless you didn’t live here before moving to this apartment, of course.” Alicia asked conversationally after a few minutes when the water flow had reduced considerably and she felt like they could talk.

“Work. And no, this is my first time living in the States, actually.”

“Oh, how exciting! I take it by your accent that you’re from Britain?” Not being able to help any further, Alicia stood up to offer Ilsa more space to work.

“Yes, from the outskirts of London.” Ilsa was surprised by the genuine interest in Alicia’s voice and she found herself actually liking the woman. She seemed nice and she was easy to talk with. “How about you? Are you from here?” Ilsa asked, doing the final task on the sink.

“Texas, baby. Grew up all over the country, though, my parents moved a lot.” Picking up more dry towels, Alicia wiped the floor as best as she could.

“That must have been tough.”

“Not really. You kind of grow used to it. And you see and learn a lot about the differences in this country. Like, I know I won’t be living in Texas again.”

Ilsa hummed. “Okay, all done. Let’s hope it worked.” Rising to her feet, she turned the tap on, leaving it running on full force for several seconds, making sure that there was no leak.

“Mission accomplished.” With a triumphant smile, Ilsa turned the tap off, her smile growing bigger at the idiotic line that Ethan had used once, making her and the team laugh.

Alicia returned the smile. “Oh, thank you so much! You’re a saint.”

Shaking her head with a small laugh, Ilsa grabbed her jacket. “I’m sorry I can’t help you with this, though.” Ilsa made a hand movement to the floor. “I need to get to work and I have to change my clothes first.”

“Of course! I didn’t expect you to help me with it. How can I repay you?” With no dry towels left in her hands, Alicia stood up and faced Ilsa.

“Oh, no. You don’t have to.” Ilsa assured her.

“You saved my kitchen after I nearly knocked you out with my door... I insist. A drink, perhaps? You're new here, I can take you to the best bar.” Ilsa found it hard to say no to this woman and while a voice in the back of her head told her to keep a distance, she decided one drink wouldn’t be so bad.

“Sure. I’m a bit busy this week, though, but you can just knock on my door when you have a date in mind.” Ilsa offered.”I promise I’ll be careful when opening the door, though.”

Laughing, Alicia managed a “Great!”, and followed Ilsa towards the door.

“I am so sorry about your arm, by the way. I can see you’re getting a mark.” Furrowing her brows, Alicia looked truly sorry.

“It’s fine. May I ask, though, why you were sprinting out of your apartment?” Smiling, Ilsa stood by the door.

“I was heading towards Mark, he lives in the first apartment from the stairs on our floor. He’s pretty handy and he helped me with my washing machine once.”

“Oh, I see.”

“He’s a bit of a douchebag, though. Asked me for a date several times after helping me, not accepting I wouldn’t go out with him. It wasn’t until about a month ago that he finally stopped asking me out, so I’m glad you helped me instead, otherwise it might have started again. I’d avoid him if I were you.”

“Yeah, thanks for the tip. I promise I won’t be a pain in the ass, asking you out.”

“Oh, you, honey, I wouldn’t mind.” Alicia winked and Ilsa swallowed at the blatant flirting. What could easily be taken as a joke, Ilsa had a feeling it was more than that, she could tell by the way Alicia had talked and looked at her earlier.

Laughing, Ilsa opened the door. “I really need to go now. See you later.”

“Bye! And once again, thank you.”

The door closed and Ilsa sighed, fishing out her keys and heading back towards her apartment.

Less than ten minutes later, Ilsa was on her bike, dressed in dry clothes, finally on her way to work. That was until a few traffic lights later when the car in front of her smashed into a car coming from the right. Slamming on the brakes, Ilsa quickly parked her bike to the side and moved towards the first car. Speaking with the driver, he assured her that he was fine and Ilsa moved to the other car.

The window on the driver’s seat was completely smashed. Ilsa sprinted the last few meters to the car as she saw blood spurting in the air. “Fuck.” Ilsa mumbled under her breath. “Somebody call an ambulance, _now_!” Ilsa shouted, throwing the door open to see a woman in her forties, obviously panicking, blood on her face, neck, her clothes, everywhere. Acting quickly, Ilsa pressed a finger into the wound to stop the bleeding. A piece of glass must have hit the woman’s artery.

“Hey. It’s okay. Calm down.” Ilsa said in a calm and steady voice, as the woman was still panicking, shaking, almost making Ilsa lose her grip. With her free hand, Ilsa slowly turned the woman’s head towards her own. “Hey, listen to me. It’s okay. You’re going to be okay. What’s your name?” Ilsa continued in her calm voice, and finally, the woman started to breathe slower, her eyes now completely focused on Ilsa.

“K-, Kathy.” The woman managed on a shaky breath.

“Kathy. You’re doing so good, Kathy. My name is Ilsa, and I’m going to stay here with you. I’m not going to leave until the ambulance comes, okay?” Ilsa gave her a warm and comforting smile, moving a few strands of hair away from Kathy’s face to inspect a gash on the side of her forehead that was bleeding impressively as well.

Kathy blinked a few times, before mumbling, “Okay,” eyes still focused on Ilsa.

“Ma’am, can I help you?” A man in his fifties spoke behind her, another citizen that wanted to help.

Slowly turning her head to look at him, making sure not to move her hand at all, she gave him a small smile. “I could do with a paper towel. Or anything to press down on a wound here.”

“Of course,” the man mumbled and after fumbling in his pockets he fished out a napkin. His face looked a bit green at the sight of the woman in the car, the blood staining her entire body and partly Ilsa’s as well.

“Thank you.” Ilsa answered, turning back towards Kathy. “This is going to hurt a little, but I need to press down on the wound, okay?” Ilsa said, her tone much gentler when speaking to Kathy. After receiving a small nod, Ilsa pressed the towel down on the wound, making Kathy gasp.

“Shh, I’m sorry. It’s okay. It’s going to be okay. Now, Kathy, can you tell me if there is any other place that you’re hurt except your neck and face?”

Kathy looked confused for a moment as if trying to feel where the pain was. “No. Or my finger. Cut myself removing the glass.” She mumbled after a few moments and Ilsa realised that the woman in her panicked state of mind had removed the piece of glass from her neck.

“Ma’am, do we need to move her?” The man behind her asked again.

“No, it’s not safe, we need to wait for medical assistance. Thank you, we’re good.” Ilsa spoke and the man was silent for now.

“Can you hold up your hand for me, Kathy?” Ilsa noticed Kathy was starting to look paler, and Ilsa knew she had lost a lot of blood. The woman did as asked and thankfully the cut was small, but Ilsa nonetheless told the woman to press the wound down hard onto her jeans.

Ilsa removed the hand pressing down on the forehead wound for a few moments to feel Kathy’s pulse. It was getting slower. Feeling helpless, Ilsa moved her hand back to the wound on the forehead.

Even though Ilsa was pressing down hard into the neck wound now, a small amount of blood was still seeping out, sneaking past Ilsa’s slim finger. _Where was that bloody ambulance?_

As if hearing her thoughts, Ilsa heard sirens approaching.

“Can you hear that, Kathy? An ambulance is coming. Everything is going to be fine. You’re going to be okay.” Ilsa reassured the woman who was struggling to keep her eyes open now.

“Hey, Kathy, stay with me. Do you have someone, Kathy? A partner?” Ilsa asked with a smile.

“David. Married.. 26 years.” She managed.

“Wow, 26 years. That is amazing. You have any kids?” Ilsa continued, trying to keep the woman awake until the ambulance arrived.

“Two.” Kathy mumbled.

“How old are they?”

Finally, the ambulance arrived and Ilsa turned her head to see that the man who had assisted her told the paramedics where the help was needed.

“Twenty-four and twenty-one.”

“You must be so proud of them.” Ilsa spoke and earned a small smile from Kathy with her words.

“Ma’am?” A new voice made her turn her head. Two paramedics, a man and a woman, stood behind her, trying to read the situation.

“She’s been pierced by a piece of glass. It sliced her artery which has caused major blood loss. She also has a wound on her forehead, a small cut on her finger, but other than that she says she doesn’t feel any pain.” Ilsa explained in a composed voice. The paramedics shared a look, and Ilsa stepped to the side a little so that one of them could take a look.

“Are you medically trained?” The female paramedic asked her.

“Basic first aid.” Ilsa answered. “How do you want to do this?”

Once again, the paramedic shared a look with her partner, earning a small nod. “Well, that’s the thing. She’s already lost a lot of blood, I’m afraid you and me changing spots could be too dangerous. If it’s alright with you, could you help us move her towards the ambulance where we can stabilize her just a little, then we’ll take over?” The woman asked and Ilsa nodded. “Sure.” Ilsa watched as the man positioned the gurney as close to the car as possible.

Ilsa noticed another ambulance had arrived, assisting them, as well as a police car.

“Kathy,” Ilsa spoke, turning her head to the woman who was really struggling to keep her eyes open now. “The paramedics are here, and we’re going to move you to the gurney, okay?”

Kathy blinked in answer and carefully they moved the injured woman to the gurney, Ilsa’s finger still pressing down into the wound. Once they were in the ambulance, and everyone was ready, Ilsa said her goodbye’s to Kathy before she was given praise from the paramedics.

Stepping out of the ambulance and watching it drive away, Ilsa sighed, looking at the mess of her hands and her clothes, covered in blood. Just a short moment later, she was taken to the second ambulance where the paramedics gave her wet tissues to clean up.

Since she was only four minutes away from the headquarters and her clothes were the only part of her that was bloodied now, she decided to go there instead of driving the whole way back home. For obvious reasons, she always had newly-washed clothes in her locker and she could take a shower at the headquarters. Ilsa looked at her watch, 9:40 a.m. Ethan must be worried by now, she had texted him that she would be a few minutes late and it had now gone forty minutes.

Putting on the helmet and hopping on her bike, Ilsa drove the last bit towards the headquarters without any trouble. Thankfully, her dark jacket made the blood on her hard to spot, which didn’t bring any attention to the few people she met on the way towards the locker room. Taking a quick shower and putting on new clothes, Ilsa finally headed towards the costume rooms at the IMF, a place she had only been to once since she started working for the organisation little over a month ago.

Opening the door, Ilsa spotted Luther and Brandt standing next to each other and Ilsa started speaking before she would receive a smartass comment (most likely from Brandt).

  
“I’m sorry, I’m late. You’re not gonna bel-.” Ilsa broke off after following Brandt and Luther’s amused gazes, landing on Benji and Ethan.

Ilsa couldn’t help but laugh.

In front of her, Benji and Ethan stood dressed in ridiculous 18th-century outfits, with grey long-haired wigs on their heads.

“Thanks, Ilsa, that’s a real confidence booster.” Benji murmured, turning back to look at himself in the mirror again.

“I’m sorry,” She tried to hold back the laughter, she really tried but after the chaotic and dramatic morning and then walking into _this_ , she completely lost it.

The team stared at her for a few moments, briefly wondering if she had gone mad, they had never seen her laugh like this before.

“I’m sorry, it’s just-,” she failed at another attempt of speaking but this time the team joined her in laughter.

Collecting herself after a few movements, Ilsa wiped her eyes, moving closer towards Ethan and Benji before taking a deep breath.

“I didn’t mean to laugh. I really didn’t and I give you permission to laugh as much you like when I try out my costume.”

“Honestly, I would be more surprised if you didn’t laugh at us. We look ridiculous.” Ethan spoke, giving her a smile. “Are you okay?” He added, a slightly worried look crossing his face.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just had the craziest morning. I’ll tell you all about it later.”

“Agent Faust, are you ready for your fitting?” A woman Ilsa had never seen before asked her.  

“Yes.” Reaching out her hand with a smile Ilsa spoke, “Ilsa, please.”

“Alanna. This room, please.” Ilsa followed Alanna to the closest door as she noticed another costume fitter walked with Benji towards the door next to hers. Just like in a store, the top and bottom parts of the dressing room’s door were missing so they could speak to each other.

“This is, what is it now, the tenth outfit that I’m trying out, Ilsa. Prepare for the worst. I didn’t even think the IMF _had_ this many 18th century outfits.” Benji spoke and Ilsa smiled as she removed her clothes, looking at the ridiculously big dress in front of her.

“Believe it or not, I’ve actually changed clothes two times already today, Benji.”

Ilsa lowered her voice as she looked at Alanna with a pained expression on her face. “Do I need to wear a corset?”

“I’m sorry, but yes. You’re going to a very exclusive party and the accuracy in the costumes for this mission are high.” Alanna gave her a sympathetic smile before she went to work.

A few moments later, Ilsa stepped out of the dressing room, not only walking slower than she would normally move but also breathing slower and heavier.

Stopping in front of the large mirror she eyed herself for a few seconds, wincing at how ridiculous she looked before she turned to her teammates whose eyes were fixed on her.

“Not fair,” Benji mumbled, wearing a new outfit, this one a little less comical than the last.

“Only you could pull that off, Ilsa.” Ethan said with a slight shake of his head, a small smile on his face. Benji and Luther agreed, nodding.

“Are you joking? I look ridiculous.” Ilsa looked at them as if they were mad.

“The skirt is a little big, but other than that.. Like I said, only you could pull that off.” Ethan spoke as he gave her one last smile before heading into one of the dressing rooms again.

“They’re right, you do look good. However, we’re going to try another one as well.” Alanna spoke and Ilsa followed her back into the dressing room.

When she walked out the second time, Ethan huffed a laugh when he laid eyes on her, making her raise an eyebrow. “Okay, that comment I made on the first skirt being too big.. I take it back.”

Ilsa laughed, shaking her head as she looked in the mirror. The skirt was so absurdly large that she wondered how she even fit through the door.

“How did women wear these? How did they move? But most of all, how did they breathe?” She sighed before looking at Ethan again, who she now realised was wearing a dark green jacket that actually didn’t look completely ridiculous and brought out the green in his eyes.

“That outfit looks good on you.” Ilsa smirked, and Alanna was quick to speak. “I told you!” She turned her head towards Ilsa. “He tried it on once before and he said it was ridiculous but he’s gone through almost all of them now and apparently, they’re all ridiculous.”

“If people only knew what these costs,” Alanna mumbled to herself before she dragged Ilsa into the dressing room to try out yet another outfit.

Shortly after Ilsa had tried on her third dress, Luther and Brandt had left them, deciding they had had their little fun and had real work to do. After a couple of more hours of shoes, pants, shirts, jackets, dresses, corsets, wigs, jewellery and even make-up, they were finally done.

“Actually, I think I might prefer saving the world than doing _that_.” Benji said when they were all seated at their favourite lunch place close to the headquarters.

“Me too, that was awful.” Ethan agreed.

“At least you two don’t need to worry about breathing, though.” Ilsa added, sipping on her sparkling water.

“True.” Benji spoke and Ethan gave her a sympathetic smile. “To the 18th century!” Benji raised his glass of water, making the team laugh.

“Ilsa, we’ve been curious all morning, do tell us what made you late.” Luther spoke and the team nodded, agreeing with him.

Ilsa began by telling them the story about the fire alarm. With the team listening intently, she was just going to tell them about the neighbour when the waitress arrived with their food.

“Anyways, so I left my apartment on time but didn’t get very far before a very charming neighbour two doors away from me proceeded to slam the door open, hitting my arm.”

“Very charming? Like Prince charming? What did he look like?” Benji interrupted excitedly.

“ _She_ looked very beautiful... kind of gave me that Zoe Saldana vibe.”

“Zoe Saldana?” Ethan asked, confused like always when it came to celebrities, just as Luther smirked and asked, “ _She?_ ” referring to Ilsa’s neighbour.

“Zoe is the green one in Guardians of the Galaxy.” Benji clarified.

“And yes, Luther, _she_.” Ilsa answered with an eyebrow raised in challenge and Luther’s smirk just widened.

While it looked like Ethan was trying to figure which movie _Guardians of the Galaxy_ was, Ilsa furrowed her brows. “But wait. I thought Zoe was that blue girl from, uh, what’s it called, _Avatar_.” She finished, giving Benji a confused look.

“Well, that’s just the thing, she is the blue girl from _Avatar_ as well as the green girl from _Guardians of the Galaxy._ ”

Luther had totally given up on the conversation - not a movie fan - looking down at his food, while Brandt was trying hard to keep up with his movie knowledge.

“Does she have bad skin, or why does she keep playing these crazy-coloured characters?” Luther muttered.

“Very funny, Luther. Actually, with those roles, she has been in two movies grossing over one billion dollar.” Benji said, quoting facts he had read a few days ago like the movie geek that he was.

“Which one is _Guardians of the Galaxy_ again? Is that the one where they’re in different dimensions at the end?” Ethan asked, still confused.

“What?” Benji said dumbly, trying to figure out what movie Ethan was talking about.

“There was something with his daughter. A watch...” He broke off and this time Brandt let out a laugh.

“That’s _Interstellar,_ Ethan.” Brandt clarified, and Ilsa was trying hard not to laugh at Ethan’s confusion while Benji groaned.

“Come on, Ethan, one does not simply confuse _Guardians of the Galaxy_ with _Interstellar_.” Benji put his face in his hands.

“Anyways, please continue with your story, Ilsa. I’m interested as to why this neighbour of yours was so charming.” Luther spoke, making the team laugh at how they had gotten carried away with the movie questions.

”Well, first of all, I say charming because I am 90% sure she was flirting with me. But she was actually really nice.” In the corner of her eyes, Ilsa noticed Ethan make a face at her words, but she couldn’t quite figure out what that face meant. For a second, it almost looked like jealousy but the rational part of her mind to not be silly, so she continued telling the morning’s events.

”Moving on, the reason why she had run out the door like that was because she had a water leak in the kitchen and went looking for help. About ten minutes later, I had fixed the leak and I was completely drenched in water so I had to change.” She gave Benji a look, implying that it was the first change of the two that she had mentioned in the dressing rooms.

”So you’re a plumber as well? Is there anything you can’t do?” Brandt asked with a raised eyebrow, making the team smile.

”I’m an awful cook.” Ilsa returned with a smirk before continuing. ”I wasn’t that late when I hopped on my bike but just minutes away from the headquarters there was a car crash right in front of me and of course, I had to stop and see how the drivers were doing. Unfortunately, a piece of glass from the car window had torn an artery on one of the driver’s neck.”

”Jesus,” Benji hissed and the team look worriedly at Ilsa now, the seriousness of the situation getting to them.

”Yeah. It was a bloody mess. But when the ambulance finally came, she was alive. And she was still alive when they left but I just hope she’s okay now.” A worried look crossed her face.

“I’m sure she is. She had you, and we know how good you are at saving lives.” Ethan’s words were comforting and she smiled at him.

A throat clearing a few seconds later made Ilsa blink and break the eye contact with Ethan, now focusing on her food instead while she could feel Benji, Luther and Brandt smirk at them.

“Luther and Will, do you know what Ethan has to practise later today?” Benji asked with a grin.

“What?” Brandt asked curiously while Ethan shook his head at his friend’s antics.

“How to lace a corset. He has to help Ilsa get ready before the party.” The two teammates who were lucky enough to not attend the party broke out in laughter, mumbling “Poor Ethan.” afterwards. Ilsa couldn’t help but smile as well, you never know what to expect with being a spy. Sometimes it’s running through the jungle while being shot at, and sometimes it’s lacing a corset.

 

\---

 

The mission could not have gone easier. When you have the charm that only Ilsa Faust possesses, bugging a chancellor without drawing suspicion was very simple. A couple of hours after arriving at the party, Ethan swung Ilsa around on the dance floor, blending in perfectly.

”I feel like I’m going to faint.” Ilsa said suddenly, breathless.

She felt Ethan’s concerned gaze on her. ”Do you need to sit down?”

”No. Sitting is even worse, believe it or not.” She closed her eyes momentarily, taking a deep breath as they continued dancing. ”Okay, I’m good.”

”I know I’m charming, but I don’t think I’ve ever had women fainting because of me before.” Ethan smirked and Ilsa rolled her eyes.

”Did you lace it so tight just so you could say that line?”

Ethan chuckled at her words. ”I’m sorry, but Alanna insisted on how tight it had to be.”

”I think I’m going to have a chat with her when we get back.” Ilsa looked possibly murderous and Ethan did not know whether to laugh or feel sorry for Alanna if Ilsa did actually decide to go talk to her (which Ethan was positive she wouldn’t). ”Brandt, please tell me it’s okay for us to leave now.”

”Ilsa Faust is begging. I might have to record this, not only complaints but now also begging. I’m in shock.”

”You’re a dead man, Brandt.” Ilsa replied.

”Not when you’re in that dress, I’m not.” He answered and Ethan tried to hold back his chuckle, not wanting to anger her any further.

”My aim is still perfect.”

”Okay, you are clear to leave.” Ilsa heard the smirk in Brandt’s voice as he spoke the words.

The agents left the party and returned smoothly back at the safehouse. When they came inside the hall, Ilsa turned to Ethan with a pointed look ”You, me, bedroom,  _now_. I need to get out of this dress.”

Benji made a loud intake of breath while Brandt and Luther chuckled. Ethan had a childish grin on his face as he obeyed her orders, pushing away the funny feeling in his stomach at the choice of her words.

As the door closed behind them, Ilsa immediately turned her back to Ethan.

”If I didn’t feel so bad for you, I’d have a lot more fun at your eagerness for me to undress you.” Ethan spoke as he immediately went to work on getting her out of the dress.

Ilsa huffed a laugh. ”You’re saying you don’t enjoy doing it?” She challenged.

”I didn’t say that.”

”Mm, okay.” she hummed.

The rest of the undressing was done in silence as the agents pondered on what to say. This flirting had been going on since day one when Ilsa started working with the IMF. Ilsa wished she knew what to make of it. Ethan was very charming in his nature and most women took a liking to him, including herself. However, Ilsa thought she noticed there was something different in his eyes when he was talking to her but she was not certain.

”All done.” Ethan said in a low voice when he had finished unlacing the corset and he knew she would be able to remove the rest of the clothing by herself. Ilsa turned around to look at him and gave him a small smile. ”Thanks.”

”You’re welcome.” A familiar feeling was growing in the pit of her stomach by the way he looked at her. After a few moments, she couldn’t stand the tension anymore. ”I’m going to take a quick shower before we eat.” Ilsa looked down at the floor as she spoke the words, biting her lip afterwards.

”Yeah.” Ethan nodded to himself and left the room.

The team ate takeaway dinner together, laughing at the silliness of the mission. Benji, Ilsa and Ethan were most definitely happy that it was over and if it was ever about to be another party with period clothing, Luther and Brandt would have to attend that time. 

 

—

 

Ilsa smiled to herself as she took another sip of her wine, barely watching the comedy that was on the TV. A loud knocking on the door made her jump slightly and she stood up from the couch, moving towards the door.

”Hey, badass neighbour!” Alicia spoke with a beaming smile once the door was opened.

”Hey, Alicia.” Ilsa replied, standing in the middle of the door opening, not going to invite her in this time.

”I just wanted to tell you, I’m so sorry but I’ll have to cancel our date. They need someone at work and apparently, everyone else had a more sound reason than me to get off.”

”Oh, okay. It’s fine, we’ll just do it some other time.” Ilsa smiled. This was the second time they had to cancel. The first time Ilsa had to go on an urgent mission.

”Oh, sorry, I didn’t know you had company.” Alicia exclaimed as Ethan walked out of the bathroom. Ethan moved towards them and when he was shielded by Ilsa, Alicia gave her a waggle of her eyebrows to which Ilsa shook her head.

”Alicia, this is Ethan, he’s a friend from work. Ethan, this is Alicia, my neighbour who I helped with plumbing a few weeks ago.”

”Nice to meet you, Ethan, _friend_ from work.” Alicia spoke with just a slight change in her tone on the word friend.

Ethan ignored the hint and offered a smile. ”Nice to meet you, too. So, you are yet another person she’s rescued?”

”My knight in shining armour.” Alicia answered and Ethan chuckled. ”And just minutes after she had rescued me, she saved a woman’s life in a car accident.”

”Yeah, so I heard. You’re a nurse, right?” Ethan asked.

”Yes. You can imagine my surprise when Ilsa showed up at the hospital and turned out to be the unsung hero, visiting the woman she had rescued.”

”She has a habit of saving people. God knows, she’s saved my ass more than once.” Ethan spoke and Ilsa smirked.

”Well, you have a very fine ass, so I did not have much choice in the matter.” Ilsa returned and while Ethan almost choked, Alicia let out a loud laugh.

”I’ll leave you two to the flirting. See you later, Ilsa.” Alicia smiled.

”Yeah. Bye, Alicia.” Ilsa returned the smile.

”Nice to meet you!” Ethan managed before the door was shut.

”She seems nice.” Ethan stated as they moved back towards the living room.

”She is. I like her.” Ilsa answered as she sat down on the couch and picked up her wine glass.

”You never told me how much you liked my ass before.” Wearing a smirk on his face, he watched as Ilsa rolled her eyes at him.

”It’s a purely objective observation.”

”Oh, do you often look at people objectively?” Ethan took a sip of his wine.

”Now why are you so interested in the way I look at people all of a sudden?” Ilsa raised an eyebrow but he noticed the twitch of her lips. Some time ago, Ethan had realised that he loved those moments when she teases him and tries but fails to hold back the smile.

”I’m just making conversation here.” He shrugged and Ilsa huffed a laugh.

”I’m an observer. Observing people is a habit that I can’t seem to get rid of, but it’s a good thing to have with the work we do.”

”So what else have you observed about me except my fine ass?” Ethan dared with a twinkle in his eyes and a funny feeling started building up in her stomach. The teasing had definitely gone on to flirting now. Ilsa decided to go with honesty and looked into Ethan’s eyes.

”That you’re honest. Kind. Loyal. That there’s a glint in your eyes when you’re speaking with Benji, Luther, Brandt and me than when you’re talking to anyone else. That your eyes are almost completely shut when you are laughing wholeheartedly. That you are very protective of the people you love and often take a step further forward so that if anything should happen, it would most likely hit you first. That you try not to show emotion when something concerns your friends but that worry can clearly be seen in your eyes and by the small crease on your forehead.”

Ilsa finished speaking by taking another sip of her red wine and Ethan sat in stunned silence for a few moments, shifting glances all around her living room.

”Well,” He managed before clearing his throat.

”I had no intention of making you uncomfortable." Ilsa interrupted. "But to be honest, you asked.” She was chewing her lip now, a sign Ethan had learned to be nervosity. He was quite observant as well, and especially when it came to Ilsa.

”You didn’t. I just..” He sighed. ”Weren’t you about to go on a date?” He finally finished, looking down at his feet as Ilsa stared at him dumbly. Since he didn’t receive an answer he looked up to find her confused face.

”Alicia. I heard her from the bathroom saying your date was cancelled. And you said you liked her.”

She continued to stare at him for a few moments before she started laughing. Feeling like an idiot, he furrowed his brows at her reaction and waited for her to finish.

”I’m sorry, I just-.” Ilsa turned her head sideways slightly. ”She insisted on buying me a drink after I helped her. It’s not a date, even if that is what she calls it. She is kind of flirty in case you didn’t notice.”

”Oh. So you two are not..?” Ethan broke off, wincing at how stupid and awkward he felt about the whole thing.

”No. No, we’re most definitely not. She is lovely, though, and I’d say she’s my type so normally I would not back away from her flirtations.”

Ethan gulped.

”However, there is, in fact, someone else that has occupied my mind for a while now.” She was looking straight at him and Ethan shifted in his seat as his head started to spin a little.

”Yeah?”

”Yeah. White male in his late forties with green eyes and black hair. Not very tall but he has a very nice build, especially for his age. He has that rogue but handsome look. I’ve barely yet met a woman who hasn’t gotten flirty around him.” Her blue eyes stared right into his soul and he felt like he was going to set on fire, the heat and intensity of her gaze was burning.

“Ilsa,” He rasped and he realised how close they were sitting. Personal space never did seem to matter when they were around each other.

“Yes?” She did not even doubt his feelings, she could read his mind just by looking at him.

“I can’t-.” He mumbled and his mouth was on hers, desperately trying to get closer to her, his need for her pushing away his gentleness. Thankfully, Ilsa responded with just as much fervour and their lips and tongues sought out each other, hands feverishly trying to find more skin, ripping buttons, mouths and fingers marking the other’s skin as they came together in the way that both of them had longed for.

 

\--

 

“You know, you haven’t said anything except my name and a few swear words since I gave my confession to you.” Ilsa murmured into his neck as she sat straddling his thighs after she had finally regained her breath.

“Confession? Are we in church?” Ethan asked, his fingers caressing her smooth but muscled back in circular movements.

“Not with how you took the Lord’s name in vain just a few minutes ago, no.”

Chuckling, Ethan put his hands on each side of her face to make her look at him.

“I’m in love with you.” He spoke simply and a small gasp escaped her mouth. “I don’t know when I realised it, but it has been a while now. After you said those words, I couldn’t..” He furrowed his brows. “I’ve wanted you for so long and hearing you say those things did things to me.”

“I could tell. I’ve never seen you lose control like that.” Ilsa grinned.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t you dare apologize for _that_. And in case you couldn’t tell... I’m in love with you, too.”

There was a new glint in his eyes that Ilsa had never quite seen before but it was already her new favourite look on him. A goofy smile was plastered on his face and Ilsa couldn’t help but press a kiss to his mouth. Slowly, lazily, they explored each other’s mouths, hands tracing naked skin, marvelling at how wonderful it felt to finally be together.  

**Author's Note:**

> Well, that turned out way longer than I expected. Haha. 
> 
> The 18th-century outfits idea came to me when watching Outlander and I wanted to see Ilsa in that kind of dress. I'm imagining the dresses she tried on were these that Caitriona Balfe's character wears in Outlander:  
> https://www.pinterest.de/pin/316800155019943375/ and https://www.pinterest.de/pin/464222674071339554/ . She totally wore the first one at the party and the red one was the one with the way too big skirt. Lol.
> 
> Thanks for reading and please, tell me if you liked it. Just one comment means so much. xx


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